


The Scale from Never to Possible

by dudethatsnotadude



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Agender Character, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Other, Pining, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Pre-Poly, Slow Burn, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 17:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16141754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dudethatsnotadude/pseuds/dudethatsnotadude
Summary: A farmer's boyfriend agrees to a polyamorous relationship with him, the farmer, and a blond punk that lives in town. Said blond punk is questioning his sexuality and his monogamy. Said farmer has a lot of love to give. Said boyfriend finds himself crushing on the punk more than what was originally discussed.(farmer uses they/them pronouns)





	The Scale from Never to Possible

**Author's Note:**

> Elliott's lineage is from Martinique, so he's black. Sam is FTM and white with the biggest mohawk crossover mullet you've ever witnessed. Cory, the farmer, uses they/them pronouns, has had reassignment surgeries, and identifies as gay. Cory is also white. Cory is also me. I might misgender myself sometimes, but I'll usually catch it. (sdv blog is linked at ending of chapter)

               Sometimes, when I was at the saloon, I would catch a glimpse of Sam. Sam was lithe and pale with this stupid looking mullet of spiky, blond hair. Every month or so, it would grow out and his brown roots would show. Even in the warm light of the fireplace, intense in color, I could still tell his eyes were a light, bright blue. His hands were boney and fumbled often as he talked to his friends, Abigail and Sebastian. He wore worn out band shirts and jean jackets coupled with dog tags and resin jewelry with flowers in them. Everything about him just seemed so interesting. I was so enraptured by him.

               The fact was, however, that I was taken. Polyamorous, but taken. Elliott, my boyfriend going for a year now, expressed explicitly that he was fine with me getting another a few months ago, but Sam might not have been comfortable with me having another partner, much less me coming on to him. I didn’t know if he liked men or even nonbinary people. I had come out immediately after I came into town, so he definitely knew, but he likely didn’t know a lot about me besides that.

               That day, I was at the saloon again, trying to bring myself to go over and talk to him. In a booth, I watched him order a drink from Gus. He was spending another night with Abigail and Sebastian, so this was the most opportune time to finally break the ice, since he was alone. I couldn’t just pull him aside while he was playing pool with his friends – it would be far too suspicious and awkward. So, I had to act fast.

               I got up from my seat and slid out from the booth, making my way over. At first, Sam didn’t notice, but as I came closer and rested my elbows on the counter beside him, he looked over. I felt warmth wash over me, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the fireplace or my own increasing heartbeat. The friendly smile directed at me made me reflexively smile back.

               “Hey,” I said, immediately regretting coming over. I felt light and beaming, but my body became weaker as I looked at him. It didn’t help that speaking became harder when I was put on the spot.

               “Hey,” Sam greeted back, starting to lean against the bar. “What’s up, Cory?”

               Hearing him say my name suddenly made the whole thing much more real. I realized that he had seen me around a lot, helping his brother out with school and talking to his mother every now and then. It was only rational that he would remember my name and my face. Also, I had been around for almost a year, so it was pretty strange for me to be off guard from him just recognizing me.

               I thought about how to word what I wanted for a second. “Do you think that we—”

               “Here’s your drink, Sam!” Gus said with a grin as he set it down in front of him. “Hello, Cory!” He waved, and I felt so embarrassed all of a sudden.

               “Hi, Gus.” I waved back, and he seemed satisfied and walked off to the other side of the counter.

               Sam took his drink, but didn’t leave just yet. Thank God. He looked to me again. “What were you saying?”

               Once again, I tried to pin down some thoughts to put into words as he took a sip of his beverage, which looked like a juice, but could very well be alcoholic.

               “I was hoping that, maybe we could – I don’t know – hang out sometime?” I spoke slowly so I wouldn’t trip over my words, and it seemed to work, as he didn’t look too concerned. He finished taking a swig and held the mug in both of his hands.

               He was thoughtful for a moment, and then asked, “What were you thinking?”

               I glanced away, smiling through my anxiety. “Maybe we could go out to Zuzu City for a day? It’s been a while since I took a visit.” Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too bored of the idea.

               A few seconds passed by until he set down his drink and gave me a joking look. “Don’t you have a boyfriend? I’ve seen you come around a few times with him to see Vincent.”

               My brain must have shut down for a bit, because I found myself unable to answer for a good three seconds. Instead, I scanned the room and bit my lip. Finally, I found a sentence to say. “Yeah, his name is Elliott.”

               “I don’t think he’d like you coming on to me, Cory.” With a coy expression, he grabbed his drink and patted my shoulder as he waltzed back into the pool room.

               I stood against the bar for a good minute until I decided to just leave and walk the walk of shame home to Elliott to tell him how bad I fucked up. As I headed out of the door to the saloon, I felt eyes watch me leave, even if no one was actually paying attention to me.

 

~

 

               “What was all that about?” Abigail asked as Sam walked back over, mug in both hands. Sebastian seemed curious, too, even in his neutral position on the couch. They must have been watching that happen.

               Sam waved it off, trying to change the subject desperately. “It was nothing. We were talking about your drums, right? What was the problem again?”

               She gave him a sour look, crossing her arms as she sat on the armrest of the couch. “Sam, what happened? My drums can wait.” Sebastian took a drink of his cider, glimpsing at Sam and gesturing his hand as if to say “go on.”

               With a sigh, Sam set down his juice on the side table and sat between his friends. “I think Cory was flirting with me.”

               Abigail groaned, but Sebastian looked confused. “He’s gay?” he asked. Abigail smacked his arm, and he winced.

               “’They’re!’” Abigail corrected. He apologized softly and went back to drinking. “And I don’t know if you can be gay and nonbinary. Is that possible, Sam?”

               Sam sighed. “Yes, they’re gay, Abigail. You can be nonbinary and gay. Why are we talking about this?”

               The grimace on her face got more frustrated as she stared at him. “Because they had the nerve to come up to you and flirt with you, even though they came out with a relationship with Elliott like half a year ago! That is just ridiculous!” Abigail seemed to get infuriated as she thought about it, her eyebrows drawn together and her lips in a grisly snarl.

               Sebastian faced them both with a disgusted expression. “Elliott?”

               Sam shrugged. “He’s hot.”

               Abigail nodded. “Oh, definitely.”

               Moments passed until Sebastian shook his head and slumped back in his seat.

               “But seriously,” Abigail started again, “what the fuck kind of guy do they think they are? They were going way out of their lane. If I was you, I would have slapped them or something. God, that’s so stupid.”

               “OK,” Sam muttered, lowering his head and pulling his shoulders up. His friends looked at each other. They knew his signs of discomfort.

               Abigail scooched down the couch so that she was sitting beside Sam and put an arm around him. “Hey. Are you OK?”

               Sam didn’t answer. He just looked on in thought.

               “Sam? Do I need to go beat them up?” Abigail asked, completely serious.

               Sebastian turned so it was clear he was concerned, as well. “I second that question.”

               He smiled and exhaled a laugh. “No. I just…” His smile disappeared, and he sighed again. “You guys know how I’ve been, like… questioning.” His friends both voiced their confirmation. Sam had been talking about trying out queer relationships for about a month now, but there haven’t been many opportunities (besides Sebastian offering to be his fuckbuddy, to which Sam declined). He thought about online relationships, but became very wary of the idea until he decided to throw it out altogether. He thought about going into Zuzu City and perusing bars and clubs and all assortments of places he could find some gay dude willing to experiment, but decided that it was too risky and all around embarrassing. Abigail and Sebastian tried to help him with ideas and hooking him up with their friends, but nothing really worked for him.

               “Well,” Sam continued, “I don’t know. I guess I kind of… liked the idea of going out with them somewhere.”

               “Sam, listen to yourself,” Abigail told him. “They’re already dating Elliott.”

               Sam put his hands out in an exasperated gesture. “I know! It’s just a nice thought, I guess. I’m not gonna go fuck them and ruin their relationship or anything, I just… It’s a nice thought.”

               The heavy, warm air in the pool room got a little cold as they sat together, thinking about what to say, but never coming up with anything.

 

~

 

               I walked across the stones leading to the farmhouse where I knew Elliott was inside, probably either writing, sleeping, or eagerly waiting for me to come home and tell him all about what happened. I didn’t really feel like explaining to him how exactly I failed in wooing Sam, but I would do it anyway, because I wanted Elliott to know.

               When I reached the front door in the darkness, the path lit up by a glow ring on my thumb, I started to fumble with my jacket’s pocket for the keys. However, as soon as I got them out, the door opened, and the light inside fell out onto the porch. I looked upon my boyfriend, who smiled at me eagerly.

               “So?” he asked. “Did you give him a proper courting?” He reached out a hand to guide me inside.

               He must have noticed my crestfallen expression, as he frowned upon entering again. He shut the door behind us, and turned me to face him. “Are you all right, Cory?”

               My hand came up to rub at the side of my face. “I’m fine, Elliott. He… said no.”

               Elliott nodded sullenly, and cradled my jaw in his palm. “I’m sorry, my love. You are deserving of so much better than him.”

               I furrowed my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

               “He said no, did he not?”

               My eyes widened. “No,” I said, “he didn’t say no because he didn’t like me. At least, I don’t think he did. He said no because he didn’t know that you were OK with me dating him, too.” I put my hand over his. “He thought I was trying to cheat, I think.”

               His eyebrows raised, and then he gave a contemplative gaze down at the floor, taking his hand back to his hip. “I suppose it would be difficult to explain our situation without both of us present,” he reasoned.

               “Yeah, we probably should have thought of that, to be honest.” I carded my fingers through my hair and then shook my wrist.

               After a moment of silence between us both (aside from Peach’s purring next to the fireplace), Elliott looked to me, his glance everything to me.

               “We should invite him somewhere we can talk to him privately, together.” He slipped an arm around my waist, taking me close. “Somewhere we can discuss. Does that sound OK?”

               His voice lulled me from my anxiety and doubt. A subtle French accent from years of weathering down creole from Martinique. The rumbling in his chest made me feel soft on the inside – so warm. I pulled my face into his neck to smell him and feel comforted by the expanse of his skin.

               “It does.”

               He swayed lightly, seeming to be in thought until he voiced his ponderings. “Although, we shouldn’t suggest your home, because Sam could get understandably suspicious. If we were to invite him somewhere, it should be public, but not too public that he gets scared away.” His palm smoothed over my hair. “Too private, on the other hand, will make him uneasy.”

               The fire fluttered with embers, and I watched as the flames licked up into the chimney. I heard him ask, “What do you suggest?”

               I thought for a moment.

               “How about Zuzu City?” I proposed, turning to look up into his eyes without breaking from his embrace. I had heard from Jodi that her family and she came from Zuzu City, and Sam often felt homesick. She had told me he thought that Pelican Town was too mundane – nothing to entertain himself; things like that.

               Elliott grinned softly, leaning in to kiss my forehead. “Sounds delightful.”

**Author's Note:**

> https://farmer-cory.tumblr.com/ stay tuned for more drawings and chapters!! hope you enjoyed!!!!


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